The season hasn’t even started yet, and the Chicago Bears are already facing challenges due to injuries. Two of the most recent and concerning are their first two selections in the 2025 NFL Draft: Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III.
Loveland is no surprise. He suffered a shoulder injury that hampered him during the draft process. He had surgery in January of 2025 and is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to participate in training camp.
Burden, on the other hand, sustained a soft tissue injury during rookie minicamp and has missed organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp so far. Bears head coach Ben Johnson did not hold back his frustration when asked about the injured rookies during a recent press conference.
Bears’ Ben Johnson Predicts Luther Burden III Has an Uphill Battle
In a recent video posted on X by CHSN, Johnson was asked at a press conference about Burden missing valuable time away from the team.
“Yeah, I know, he misses a lot. I mean, anytime you’re not out there, you’re losing valuable time,” explained a clearly discouraged Johnson.
Johnson went on to explain that it is more than just missing the actual practice. While those repetitions are what help a young wide receiver like Burden adjust to the NFL, it is also the time with your teammates and the coaching staff. He said that time is critical for building trust.
“It’s not just the coaching staff, but it’s also your teammates,” added Johnson. “They gotta see you do it, they gotta know that the guy right and left of them, that they’re gonna do the right thing and they’re going to make the plays when called upon. It’s a shame that he got dinged up and missed all that time, cause for a young player, it’s really where you get the most reps and you can get better in a hurry.”
This lost time also presents a lost opportunity to learn valuable lessons about how different the NFL is from college football. This is something that Burden, the second-round pick out of Missouri, will have missed.
Ben Johnson on Luther Burden III missing valuable time: pic.twitter.com/scn9oZJdwf
— Bears on CHSN (@CHSN_Bears) June 10, 2025
The lost time only adds additional pressure for rookies like Loveland and Burden, who will have to jump on a moving train when training camp begins. They will need to find ways to maximize their new opportunities and position themselves in the best possible way to compete.
Bears’ Burden Carries a Chip on His Shoulder
Burden has the added “burden” of needing to back up his previous statements. The one thing about talking a lot on social media, before proving yourself, is that fans tend to remember.
After a phenomenal 2023 season, Burden entered 2024 with high expectations. Unfortunately for him, the season did not go the way he had hoped. While much of that wasn’t his fault, it didn’t stop his draft stock from falling.
He took to social media after the draft to taunt the 31 other teams who passed on him. Burden said that he intends to make all the other teams pay for not believing in him.
All of this means that Burden will not only have to earn the trust and respect of his teammates and coaches, but he will also have to work hard to prove that he possesses the necessary skills.
